Impaired mobility is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Changes in gait have different causes and require individualised gait rehabilitation. A common and often early cause of mobility impairment is footdrop, inability to lift the foot during the swing phase of gait, with increased risk of falls, effortful walking and fatigue. Using literature review, we have characterised published data on footdrop treatment in MS, specifically functional electrical stimulation (FES) to better understand the reported outcomes relevant to the user. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of FES and how far it meets the needs of people with footdrop. Physiotherapy combined with FES may further enhance the benefits of FES. MS studies emphasise the value of maintaining activity levels in early MS but discussion on how to achieve this is lacking. We emphasise the value of qualitative measures to broaden our understanding and improve treatment and adherence and identify areas for further research. Supplementary video material illustrates key features of MS gait and its correction using FES and physiotherapy.

中文翻译：

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多发性硬化症患者足下垂的功能性电刺激：解决运动质量的相关性和重要性

行动不便在多发性硬化症 (MS) 患者中很常见。步态的变化有不同的原因，需要个体化的步态康复。移动障碍的一个常见且通常是早期的原因是足下垂，在步态摆动阶段无法抬起脚，增加跌倒、费力行走和疲劳的风险。使用文献综述，我们对已发表的 MS 足下垂治疗数据进行了表征，特别是功能性电刺激 (FES)，以更好地了解与用户相关的报告结果。我们讨论 FES 的优势和劣势，以及它在多大程度上满足脚下垂患者的需求。物理疗法结合 FES 可能会进一步增强 FES 的益处。MS 研究强调在早期 MS 中保持活动水平的价值，但缺乏关于如何实现这一目标的讨论。我们强调定性措施的价值，以拓宽我们的理解，改善治疗和依从性，并确定进一步研究的领域。补充视频材料说明了 MS 步态的主要特征及其使用 FES 和物理疗法的矫正。